


Of Jealous Vulcans and Chess

by Illusinia



Series: The Chess Chronicals [1]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Chess, Comic References, F/M, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 21:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9345323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illusinia/pseuds/Illusinia
Summary: Spock gets jealous and Jim tries to figure out why. Then he tries to fix it. Things don't go as planned.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've never written for the Star Trek Fandom before. I've also never seen The Original Series. I know some of the cannon material is built on the original series and I apologize if I've missed something. Please, if you see something off, let me know. I've looked over this and I've had friends look over it, but no one catches everything.
> 
> Thanks and enjoy.

“Well, that was fun,” muttered Jim as he practically dug his fingers into his eyes.

****

Beside him, Spock was quirking an eyebrow if he had to guess. The half-Vulcan was definitely not as far up to speed on sarcasm as he probably should be.

****

“Indeed, Admiral Barnett does appear to enjoy reprimanding others,” agreed Spock blandly. “Your propensity to ignore the rules suggests you enjoy being being reprimanded as well. Likely, you are his favorite captain within the fleet, illogical as it is to have favorites.”

****

Jim froze as his first officer's words sank in. That almost sounded like…. “Was that sarcasm, Spock?”

****

“Merely a statement of fact and an observation, followed by a conclusion based upon presented facts and observations,” replied Spock, his face impassive.

****

Jim blinked again, then broke into laughter. It had been almost two weeks since they'd left Earth, and he'd failed to get anything but official business out of the half-Vulcan. It had reached the point where he wondered what Uhura saw in the man. And now, he'd met Sarcastic Spock.

****

“I can't believe you actually used sarcasm just now,” chuckled Jim, shaking his head. “I can't believe you can actually be sarcastic!”

****

“I am uncertain what you are referring to, Captain,” remarked Spock uneasily. “How can one be-”

****

Jim didn't let the man finish though. Ahead of them Uhura had just stepped from one of the relay rooms, a PADD in her hand and headphones in her ears. She was clearly focused on whatever was in her hands, which immediately interested Jim, but more importantly he wanted to share Spock's break in stoicism with her. Though he knew that she was probably well acquainted with her boyfriend's personality, Jim wasn't. He'd gone to her many times over the past two weeks in an attempt to better connect with his first officer. She'd recommended patience and Jim was excited to inform her that her advice was not only accurate, but paid off.

****

“Lieutenant!” called Jim as he practically sprinted down the hall to catch up with Uhura. She still didn't respond, her brow furrowed in concentration. Without thinking about it, Jim grabbed her arm to pull her to a stop.

****

Her head snapped up immediately, eyes narrowed in annoyance at the interruption to her concentration. She nearly ripped the earphones out as she glared at him. “Yes, Captain?”

****

“Uhura, Spock is sarcastic!” exclaimed Jim, his excitement waning slightly as the glare she was giving him sharpened.

****

Tugging her arm from his grip, she braced her hand on her hip with a heavy sigh. “Believe me, Captain, I'm aware of Spock's propensity for sarcasm and smart-ass remarks.”

****

“Wait, he can be a smart ass?” asked Jim, the thought exciting him even more. The sarcasm had been a complete shock. Learning his first officer also boasted an ability for smart-ass remarks just made everything better. “Why didn't you tell me this before?”

****

“Because you two seemed like you could barely stand to be in the same room together?” suggested Uhura calmly, glancing behind him at last and frowning. Jim glanced back at his first officer as well, but the man appeared as stoic as ever.

****

“Well, that's not the case,” dismissed Jim, turning away from Spock. “I want to hear more about Spock's secret personality.”

****

“I believe Lieutenant Uhura is still on shift, Captain,” remarked Spock suddenly, his crisp voice cutting through Jim's amused mood. “It would be inappropriate to delay her work.”

****

“Huh?” asked Jim blinking back at Spock in surprise before he looked back at Uhura. She'd stiffened, her eyes locked on Spock now. Without another word, she nodded and turned back the direction she'd been heading before.

****

Jim blinked again and turned to Spock. However, Spock looked equally stiff. His eyes suggested he wasn't feeling talkative a anymore, either.

****

Sighing, Jim waved his hands dismissively at Spock. “I'm going to my office. Just let me know if anything blows up.”

****

“I would imagine you would be aware of any explosions that occurred,” remarked Spock. Jim almost got excited by the smart-ass remark, but Spock's tone bordered on icy and Jim really didn't want to challenge the apparently irritated Vulcan.

****

Nodding, he hurried away down the hall, his mind trying to trace back over the conversation and determine where, precisely, he'd insulted the Vulcan. Or at least, what he'd done wrong.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, Scotty, Chekhov, Sulu, you guys got a minute?” asked Jim as he approached the table where the engineer, navigator, and pilot appeared to be finishing up their meal.

 

“A course, captain,” confirmed Scotty as he motioned to a chair beside him. “Pull up a seat.”

 

“Thanks,” thanked Jim as he dropped into the offered seat and leaned forward. He glanced around the room once to ensure Spock wasn't there before he carefully began his inquiry. “So, have any of you noticed Spock acting kinda weird?”

 

“Weird?” repeated Sulu, his brow furrowing slightly.

 

“He's a Vulcan,” reminded Scotty dismissively. “Everythin’ they do is a little weird.”

 

“I have noticed nothing,” remarked Chekhov, tilting his head slightly.

 

“What do you mean by weird?” pressed Sulu curiously.

 

“I don't know,” admitted Jim, shoving a hand through his hair. “I don't want to say he's been having mood shifts, but that's kinda right?”

 

“Can a Vulcan have mood shifts?” asked Sulu, glancing at Scotty.

 

The engineer shrugged. “We know they can get angry!”

 

Jim winced, then considered Spock's suddenly icy demeanour. Could it have been anger he saw?

 

“Did ze Commander become more... severe suddenly?” asked Chekhov curiously, his head tilting to the side slightly.

 

 _Yes_ , Jim thought. _Exactly._ “Has he done that before?”

 

“Da,” confirmed Chekhov with a nod. “Yes.”

 

“Why?” pressed Jim, hoping for the first time he might figure out what he did to annoy his first officer.

 

“I don't know,” admitted Chekhov sheepishly. “It was at ze academy. He asked to speak with me and he was....severe. Not like he usually was. Angry, maybe?”

 

“Do you remember what he asked you about?” tried Jim, his heart sinking. Maybe he wouldn't be able to figure this out without asking Spock. Somehow, he suspected that wouldn't help though.

 

“Da, Lieutenant Uhura,” confirmed Chekhov with a nod. “He wanted to know what we were doing together. Well,” he paused here uncertainly, “it was more zat he wanted to know what she was doing.”

 

“What she was doing?” repeated Sulu, his eyebrows shooting up. “What was she doing?”

 

“Wait, was this when she broke into the archives?” asked Jim suddenly. His eyes went wide. Spock had been the guy Uhura was stuck on at the academy? Well, shit. They were both a hell of a lot less rigid with the rules than he'd thought. There was a bad streak in both of them, apparently.

 

Chekhov's eyes went wide. “How do you know about zat?”

 

“Because I broke into the archives with her,” explained Jim, shaking his head slightly. “I'm kinda surprised she wasn't kicked out. Guess I know why now.”

 

“What do you mean?” asked Chekhov, his brow furrowing in confusion.

 

Sulu shot him a sharp look. “Captain, I'm not sure it's appropriate to imply Commander Spock would abuse his authority that way or that he'd engage in that sort of behavior.”

 

“Imply?” questioned Scotty with a derisive noise. “There's no imply. Not with the way they were kissin’ on that teleporter.”

 

“Kissing on the- wait, really?” asked Sulu in apparent surprise.

 

Chekhov still appeared confused. “Who was kissing on ze teleporter?”

 

“Spock and our lovely Lieutenant,” replied Jim with a frown. “That's not something we’re telling command, though. Understood?”

 

“Got it,” assured Sulu with a nod, even as Chekhov sat there with his jaw practically hanging open.

 

“Wait, ze Commander and Lieutenant Uhura?” asked Chekhov, a blush covering his face.

 

Jim grinned apologetically at Chekhov. “Yep. Sorry, it looks like neither of us have a chance.”

 

Chekhov nodded slowly, his blush deepening. “Was zis back at ze academy, too?”

 

“Probably, given what Uhura told me when we broke into the archives,” confirmed Jim with a nod, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”

 

“Ze Commander was… aggressive?” suggested Chekhov, like he couldn't decide if the word was accurate or not. “He was unhappy. I believed I'd done somezing wrong.”

 

“That's kind of what he did to me,” stated Jim slowly, his brows drawing together. “One minute we were joking and the next he acted like I'd committed some grievous taboo.”

 

“What did you do this time?” asked Bones suddenly as he dropped his tray next to Jim rather firmly.

 

Jim jumped a little but offered his friend a grin all the same. “Hey Bones. I don't know, that's what we're trying to figure out!”

 

Bones grunted and grabbed a chair, swinging it around to rest beside Jim before he dropped into it. “Well, what'd ya do right before you pissed off the hobgoblin?”

 

“Uh,” started Jim, carefully reviewing the events of the day. “I was complaining about my meeting with Admiral Barnett, Spock made a sarcastic remark, I got excited and ran to tell Uhura, and then Spock got...whatever he got.”

 

“Wait, Mr. Spock can be sarcastic?” asked Scotty in surprise.

 

“And a smart-ass,” added Jim with a bit of a smirk. “I had the same reaction.”

 

“Can we get back to what you were doing before Spock considered reenacting your bridge scuffle?” suggested Bones, tapping at the desk. “You said he was okay and then you went and ran to Uhura?”

 

“Yeah,” confirmed Jim, nodding slowly. “You think he’s mad at her?”

 

“Did you touch her?” asked Bones, ignoring Jim’s question and tapping his fingers on his tray. “Grab her arm or anything?”

 

“Uh…” Jim wracked his brain. Had he touched Uhura? “Maybe?”

 

“Do you zink ze Commander is jealous?” questioned Chekhov, his eyes going wide.

 

“Maybe,” confirmed Bones, taking a drink from his glass. “Guy frowned slightly when I touched her arm a few days ago when they were in medical. Well, much as he ever frowns.”

 

“He might have thought Chekhov was trying to seduce her,” suggested Jim uncertainly. “That could explain why he appeared angry at the academy.”

 

“He’s never seemed to mind if I touch her,” remarked Sulu, shaking his head. “That doesn’t make sense. He could have been annoyed with you, Dr. McCoy, because he was in medical. And Pavel admitted Uhura was doing something illegal. He was probably just concerned.”

 

“But what about ze Captain?” asked Chekhov. “What did he do?”

 

“If they were dating back at the academy, do you really think Spock isn’t aware that Jim pursued Uhura?” countered Bones calmly. “Guy probably still isn’t comfortable with Jim being near Uhura.”

 

“Or its biological and all of you need to review your zenobiology.” Uhura’s annoyed voice cut through the conversation as effectively as a laser. All five men swivelled to look up at her, blinking in confusion. She sighed heavily in response, glancing around before she leaned forward. “Vulcans are possessive. It’s a biological imperative and that’s all I know. Spock assures me there’s a reason for it and so did his mother.”  


“His...you met his mother?” asked Jim, his stomach churning a little at the thought. He’d never considered that the two of them might be serious enough that she’d met his mother.

 

Bones apparently thought the same thing given the concern that contorted his face. “Shit. You should have said something. Are you holding up okay?”

 

“I’m alright,” assured Uhura gently, shaking her head sadly. “It’s Spock who’s suffering.” Sighing, she picked her tray back up and glanced around the room once more. “And right now, it has him on edge. He’s usually pretty good about keeping his possessiveness underwraps, otherwise Kirk wouldn’t still have hands. Or a head. However, his grief is driving him to cling to what he has left. And right now, that’s Sarek and I. He’s being driven to protect and guard me more than normal. So, for the time being, just keep that in mind. He won’t do anything to anyone, but he might get a little mad.”

 

“Uh, I don’t think grumbling and sending you back to work qualifies as being possessive,” pointed out Jim. What she was saying just didn’t add up. If Spock was being possessive, wouldn’t he touch Uhura to claim her?

 

Uhura rolled her eyes, flexing her left shoulder lightly. “Trust me, Kirk. Sending me back to work got me out of _your_ company. To him, you’re still a rival male. You’re human and, even though I rejected you, you kept pursuing me.”

 

“Yeah, and once I realized you were his, I backed off,” reminded Jim, his lips condensing. “I haven’t done anything inappropriate since we got back on the Enterprise.”

 

“You grabbed my arm yesterday,” countered Uhura simply. “And you didn’t let me go immediately. He didn’t take that well.” Jim opened his mouth to counter, but she shot him a look that had him shutting it again rapidly. “You’re a rival male, Jim. You’re just going to have to face that fact and be careful what you do.”

 

“What if I talked to him?” suggested Jim, his lips compressing. “I don’t want to have to always worry about our interactions setting Spock off. I mean, is he going to storm in here and drag you out?”  


“No, because if he did walk in, we’d just be talking and nothing more,” explained Uhura calmly. “However, you touching me is an issue for Spock. All I’m asking is that you remain aware of that fact.” Her lips compressed slightly before she added: “Offer him a game of chess and explain you aren’t interested in me anymore. It might help.”

 

Jim sighed slightly. That wasn’t strictly true; if Uhura were ever single again, he’d probably jump at the opportunity to have her. She was beautiful, smart, and self-sufficient. Independent. Any guy would want a woman like her. And somehow, he suspected Spock knew that.

 

“Please,” added Uhura, her eyes imploring he heed her advice.

 

Slowly, Jim nodded. “Alright, I'll give it a shot.”

 

“Thank you,” murmured Uhura, nodding at the rest of the boys before she collected her tray and crossed the room to an empty table.

 

Jim was about to object, but figured she had a reason for walking away. It appeared five minutes later in the form of Spock. The first officer scanned the room momentarily before his eyes landed on Uhura. Within three  minutes, he'd collected a tray with food and joined the lieutenant at her table.

 

They bent close to each other almost immediately and Jim had to admit he was jealous. Even though they weren’t being overt, it was apparent to anyone with eyes they cared for one another. When Uhura offered Spock two of her fingers a few seconds after he sat down, Jim felt his curiosity pique. Spock’s hand rose almost immediately, his fingers curling around hers in a gesture that was weirdly intimate given its simplicity. It clearly had some symbolism for them, because both seemed to relax some in response to the contact.

 

“Ai wonder what that's about,” muttered Scotty, eying the pair across the room.

 

“I don't know, some kind of intimate Vulcan gesture I think,” replied McCoy with a shrug and he took a bite of his food.

 

“It's a Vulcan kiss,” spoke up Sulu calmly as he stood and collected his tray. “Uhura said it's the only way Vulcans show affection in public.”

 

“When did she say that?” asked Jim curiously, his gaze returning to Sulu.

 

“I asked after I passed her and Spock in the hallway talking with Sarek,” explained Sulu with a shrug. “They were just standing with their fingers intertwined like that.”

 

Jim nodded slowly. “So I'm gonna guess Sarek knows about their relationship then?”

 

“I'd guess so,” stated Sulu as he turned away from the table. “See you on the bridge.” The pilot started to walk away, then paused and glanced back at them. “And captain? Take her advice. She knows him better than any of us.” With that, Sulu strode away.

 

“He's right, Jim,” remarked Bones mildly. “You should take her advice. Whatever this issue is needs to get resolved before it causes problems.”

 

“Yeah,” agreed Jim with a resigned nod. “I'll take care of it.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey Spock,” greeted Jim as he passed his first officer in the mess hall that evening. “I was wondered if you wanted to play chess tonight after dinner.”

 

The half-Vulcan looked up at him blandly, his usual, calm expression present as always. “We have never played chess before, Captain, and I feel the need to advise you that I am a ranked player of high skill.”

 

“Great,” replied Jim with a smirk. “You can give me a run for my money.”

 

“I do not understand,” replied Spock, his brow furrowing. “I do not intent to bet on our game, as gambling is illogical and prohibited by Starfleet Regulation-”

 

“It’s just a way of saying you’ll be a challenging opponent, Spock,” cut in Jim with a sigh, pressing his fingers against his eyes. “I’m going to give Uhura a list of colloquialisms and idioms to teach you.”

 

“She has already compiled such a list,” replied Spock dismissively, “and insists upon explaining five each night we are capable of meeting.”

 

“Then I'm gonna make sure she has more time with you at night,” stated Jim firmly, his lips compressing slightly. “Clearly you don't have enough time to go over the list.”

 

“We have other matters to attend to,” dismissed Spock, his eyes glinting in a way that bordered on smug. Jim almost choked. It was too weird to see that kind of a look on Spock. It didn't belong.

 

“I'm sure you do,” muttered Jim, pinching the bridge of his nose. The possessive theory was definitely looking more and more likely. “So, chess tonight? After dinner?”

 

Spock hesitated for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly like he was consulting some internal calendar. He nodded after a moment though, slowly and deliberately. “I shall join you after dinner.”

 

Jim nodded and offered Spock a grin. He spotted Uhura as she entered across the room and quickly offered his first officer a wave and passing ‘I'll see you later’ before heading for the door. He wasn't about to stick around and put his foot in his mouth before he'd had a chance to speak with Spock in private.

 

He paused just before he left though, glancing back to spot Uhura just as she was settling down across from Spock. This time, it was Spock who offered his fingers to Uhura, hers immediately curling around them. The tension in both their shoulders visibly relaxed at that, their eyes meeting over the gesture. They didn't release one another either, just let their joined hands fall to the table as they began to eat. Jim felt his heart twitch a little. The idea that he could be causing unrest between the two just because Spock thought he was a rival male was more upsetting than it usually was, for some reason. It wasn't like he hasn't dealt with jealous men before, after all. Usually, it made him feel pretty good about himself. This time though, it just made him feel like an asshole.

 

Leaving the mess, Jim made his way towards medical. Maybe Bones could make sense of why this was bothering him so much.  And maybe help him sort out the best way to approach Spock about him not being interested in Uhura anymore.

 

* * *

 

“Bones, you here?”

 

Jim's voice practically bounced off the walls, to Leonard's great annoyance. Jim might be one of his few friends, but that didn’t mean the man didn’t drive him crazy sometimes. Which was probably exactly what the young captain was there to do. “You had better be dying if you’re shouting in my med bay.”

 

“Not today,” replied Jim just before he appeared around the edge of the door, grinning. “You busy?”

 

“Me, the CMO, busy? Never.” Sarcasm practically dripped from his tone, but Jim ignored it. Instead, he dropped into the chair across from Leonard’s desk with his usual carelessness.

 

“Good, ‘cause I wanted to talk with you about something,” stated Jim. He settled his elbows on his knees, clutching his hands between his knees. The nerves practically flew off Jim; it was enough for Leonard to set aside his work completely in order to offer his full attention.

 

“What's eating you?” asked Leonard with a sigh, debating on the probability this was going to be a waste of his time or not. Probably something stupid, if he had to guess.

 

“Spock,” replied Jim with a sigh. “And Uhura.”

 

One of Leonard's eyebrows shot up. He knew there was some tension at present with Spock, but he couldn't think of anything that would bother the Captain this much. He didn't look hurt, so Spock probably hadn't lost it completely and punched him.

 

“I just…” continued Jim, trailing off as he shoved a hand through his hair, “I don't like the idea of causing any kind of tension between them, which is weird cause I've literally stolen women from their boyfriends before and didn't care.”

 

“They weren't your friends,” pointed out Leonard mildly.

 

Jim pursed his lips, folding his hands behind his head so he could lean back into them and close his eyes. “And now I’ve gotta try to fix it. Fuck. I suck at fixing things.”

 

“That’s an understatement,” grumbled Leonard, shaking his head. “Look, just don’t do it again. Spock was getting comfortable with you and we both know the hobgoblin doesn’t talk about anything, so there’s no point in bringin’ it up. Let sleeping dogs freakin’ lie.”

 

Jim winced and opened an eye, looking sheepishly at Leonard. “Uh, kinda too late for that.”

 

“What’d you do now,” demanded Leonard as he leaned forward to brace his elbows on his desk. Damnit, he should have known Jim would take the initiative this _one_ time rather than ignoring a problem until it went away. If this wasn’t handled right, it could cause a huge problem.

 

“I took Uhura’s advice and asked Spock to play chess with me,” replied Jim with a shrug as his hands fell to his lap, fingers lacing together and thumbs twiddling slightly.

 

Leonard blinked hard at his friend. Well, that didn’t sound bad. He’d assumed Jim had done something stupid, but a chess game could easily be _just_ a chess game. Besides, Spock liked chess. It might even give them some common ground to help this whole thing dispel. But still... something about Jim’s posture told him their questionably illustrious captain was worried about the whole thing. Which probably translated to trouble.

 

Repressing a sigh, Leonard resigned himself to trying to help Jim work out a plan that wouldn’t get his ass kicked. Again. “Okay, that’s good, right? The hobgoblin likes chess. You can set him straight if you’re really that determined to bring this up again and clear the air.”

 

“Yeah,” agreed Jim, his lips compressing. “Maybe.” His fingers tapped against his knuckles lightly as he shifted uneasily in his seat.

 

“Maybe,” repeated Leonard with a scowl. “I thought that was the whole point of doing this.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” assured Jim with a sigh. He relaxed his fingers, one of his hands rising to rub at the back of his neck uneasily. “It’s just… Bones, how strong is Vulcan telepathy? Like, if I lie, will Spock know it?”  


Leonard scowled, burying his face in his hands. “Jim what the hell are you saying?”

 

Jim took a slow deep breath. “I’m saying, if I tell Spock I’m not interested in Uhura anymore, I’m going to be lying through my teeth.”

 

 _Fuck,_ thought Leonard with a groan. Why couldn’t something go smoothly just once? It was bad enough Jim and Spock met on opposing sides during a freaking trial, but Spock probably wouldn’t let it go if Jim admitted he wanted Uhura.

 

“I mean, not while she’s with Spock,” explained Jim hurriedly. “I wouldn’t do that. Not to Spock. I respect him too much for that. But, I mean, if they ever split? Yeah, I’d give it a shot. She’s smart, beautiful, strong willed, kind… I mean, who can turn something like that down?”

 

Leonard scowled at his friend. “Do not tell that to Spock. He’ll probably rip your head off. I mean it, Jim. Do _not_ tell him that.”

 

“I’m not planning to,” dismissed Jim with a heavy sigh. “That’s why I wanted to know if he’ll be able to tell I’m lying without touching me.”

 

“No, he can’t,” replied Leonard, scowl still firmly in place. “Damnit Jim, I’m a doctor, not a councilor.”

 

Jim raised his eyebrow in response to that. “Isn’t counseling a required course in Starfleet for all medical staff?”

 

Leonard opened his mouth to dispute that, but paused before he spoke. Damnit, there was a course on counseling people on the ship, in case it was ever necessary. And he’d been required to take it.

 

Snapping his jaw shut, Leonard still glared at Kirk for a moment longer before nodding slowly once and leaning back in his seat. “So what’s your plan.”

 

“I have no clue,” admitted Jim with a sigh. “Normally, I wouldn’t care, but this is too important not to have some idea of what I’m going to do.”

 

“You’re right there,” muttered Leonard, shaking his head slowly. This was a mess. “Lucky for you, as long as you don’t touch Spock, he won’t know if you’re lyin’. Thing is, Vulcans have some kinda empathy, too. I’m not clear on how that one works.”

 

“So, he might know I’m lying, but he won’t know what I’m lying about?” asked Jim skeptically.

 

“He’ll know,” dismissed Leonard with a scowl. “He’s too damn smart to trick. If you’re tellin’ half-truths though, he probably won’t.”

 

“So I have to find a way to verbally trick a Vulcan,” surmised Jim with a groan. “I’m dead. We’ll never be able to get along.”

 

Leonard sighed heavily. It definitely seemed like this wasn’t going to end well. “Look, just, go with your gut and remember why you’re doin’ this. I hate suggesting that, but I’m not sure you’ve got a choice here.”

 

“I’ll figure it out,” muttered Jim as he dragged a hand over his face and stood. “Thanks, Bones.”

 

“Not sure I was much help, but you’re welcome,” replied Leonard, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. “Just try not to get your ass kicked this time.”

 

“Yeah, not even going there,” assured Jim with a smirk and a wave as he exited the office. “Wish me luck, Bones!”

 

“You need more than luck,” muttered Leonard with a sigh. He waited until he couldn’t hear Jim’s footsteps anymore before picking up his call and pulling up Uhura’s number. It was only fair to warn her that Jim had decided to go through with this. She should probably be prepared to receive her pissed off boyfriend when this was all said and done. And he had not doubt something was going to go wrong with this. When Jim was involved, something always went wrong.

 

* * *

 

He couldn’t sit still. Glancing up at the clock, Jim noted that Spock should be showing up any minute to play chess. Maybe that was what made him so anxious. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Spock. Hell, he wasn’t sure he would make it out of this without Spock trying to deck him. That sounded like an overreaction and he knew it, but dammit, he’d been on the end of an ass-kicking courtesy of Spock before!

 

The door chimed ominously.

 

 _Fuck,_ thought Jim with a deep breath. _Alright Jim, show time._

 

Crossing to the door, Jim pressed the button to open it and stepped aside to allow Spock to enter. “Hey Spock.”

 

“Captain,” greeted Spock with a nod. He stepped calmly into the room, halting just inside.

 

Jim gestured towards the table where he’d set up the board, leading the Vulcan across the room. “Want something to drink? I’ve got a lot of alcohol, water, coffee…”

 

“No thank you,” stated Spock simply as he paused awkwardly in beside the door.

 

Jim felt just as awkward. What was he supposed to say? He and Spock were barely on speaking terms some days. It wasn’t like Vulcan’s were easy to make small talk with. They probably found it illogical.

 

Instead of speaking, he just gestured to the chess board he’d set up on his coffee table and crossed to the couch on one side. Spock didn’t speak as he crossed to the chair opposite the couch and settled into it.

 

Jim stopped to grab a drink on his way toward the Vulcan, hoping alcohol would make this whole thing feel less like a peace treaty negotiation and more like a discussion with his first officer. A little alcohol couldn't hurt after all.

 

Dropping into the chair across from Spock, Jim took a sip of his drink and gestured to the board. “You want to go first?”

 

Spock nodded once, stiffly, and carefully selected one of his pawns. He moved it a level up and returned his hand to his lap. Jim moved his knight in turn, trying to figure out what Spock's strategy was.

 

They played in silence for several minutes, Spock seemingly focused on the game and Jim attempting to quash the nerves that even his whiskey couldn't seem to drown. Worse, Spock kept glancing at him like he could sense Jim had some ulterior motive in asking him there. Which he did, but that was besides the point. There wouldn't be any way Spock could know that unless Uhura told him. Which she might have, come to think of it. Actually, she probably had.

 

“What is it you wish to say, Captain?” asked Spock calmly as he took one of Jim's bishops. Jim glanced up and met his first officer's gaze. For all the calm Spock was exhibiting, Jim could sew the razor edge of tension in his form. It wasn't something he'd have noticed if he hadn't watched Spock and Uhura earlier that day. He'd seen what Spock actually looked like relaxed in that moment. Right now, the man wasn’t relaxed.

 

Sighing, Jim leaned back and completely focused his attention on Spock. “Look, I just wanted to clear the air between us. You like chess. It seemed like a good idea.”

 

For a long moment, Spock remained silent, his eyes locked on the board though Jim suspected he wasn’t actually paying any attention to it. When Spock still hadn’t said anything a moment later, simply continued to stare at the board, Jim took a deep breath and forced himself onward.

 

“I saw how you reacted yesterday when I grabbed Uhura’s arm.” Spock’s lips tightened at the reminder of the action, prompting Jim to quickly move on. “She came and spoke with me earlier today. One of the things she mentioned was Vulcan possessiveness.” He paused again, waiting to see if Spock would speak more. He was strangely quiet though, eyes still locked on the chessboard and what amounted to a Vulcan scowl on his face. Feeling a bit frustrated, Jim pressed onward. “Look, I get that I used to pursue Uhura. Hell, I’m kinda jealous you managed to get her in the end. But she’s with you and I respect you both too much to keep trying to go after her.”

 

“That you admit to jealousy is to admit to interest,” remarked Spock quietly, his eyes flashing in warning.

 

Jim groaned. Damnit, he was talking to Spock. Specifics, he needed to keep to specifics. “C’mon Spock. Half the _ship_ would date Uhura if she weren’t with you. You have to be aware of that. But none of us would dare try because we respect _you_.”  Shoving his hand through his hair in frustration, he tried not to scream. “Look, I’m not gonna try to steal Uhura from you. Yeah, she’s beautiful and I admire her, but I’m not going to try to take her away. She’d kick my ass if I even suggested it.”

 

Spock shifted slightly in his seat and, for a moment, Kirk thought something that almost looked like doubt flashed through his first officer’s eyes. He must have been hallucinating though, because Spock’s posture and face never changed, remaining locked in the near-scowl he’d taken on as soon as Jim broached the subject.

 

“Well I wish to believe such, Captain, I find your continued physical familiarity with Nyota to be directly at odds with your words,” remarked Spock slowly, his eyes flashing in warning.

 

Jim threw up his arms a little. “Look, humans touch each other. It’s a thing, we just do it. It’s cultural. You can’t expect Uhura to stop touching other people just because your people don’t touch each other like we do.”

 

“I do not expect Nyota to bend to my cultural norms,” assured Spock blandly. “However, she has shown a marked disinterest in engaging in any physical familiarity with you, yet you insist upon forcing such interactions upon her.”

 

Balking, Jim forced his brain to a halt, attempting to recenter his entire perspective on this matter. Spock was reacting badly because Uhura didn’t want him to touch her? Okay, yeah, she pulled away sharply when he grabbed her arm or something, but she’d never said ‘don’t touch me’. And Uhura was definitely the type to make such demands if she wasn’t comfortable. Could Spock have convinced himself that he was doing this to defend Uhura? Or was Uhura not telling him that she didn’t want him to touch her for some reason? No, it couldn’t be that. She would have mentioned that.

 

“What are you talking about Spock?” asked Jim, rubbing his head like it was pounding. “She’s never said anything to me.”

 

“She pulled away from you yesterday,” pointed out Spock, his eyes narrowing into a glare, “as she has every time you have attempted to engage in physical contact with her. Additionally, you have previously pursued her despite her clear disinterest in your amorous advances.”

 

Jim groaned, burying his face against his hand. “Yeah, I did. Because I didn’t know she had a boyfriend. If she’d _told_ me that, I would have let up.”

 

“Which she could not do, as Starfleet Regulations, while not forbidding our associations, frowned heavily upon them,” countered Spock. “Her dismissal of your interest should have been enough to dissuade your continued pursuit.”

 

“Damnit Spock,” cursed Jim, a hand scrubbing over his face. “Look, what I did before isn’t what I’m doing now. I’m not going after Uhura. I’m not going to try to take her from you.” Desperately, he dug around in his head for something, anything, he could say that might assuage Spock’s possessive instincts. Maybe if Spock understood Uhura’s hand in all this, it would help. Surely whatever possessiveness he was feeling would fade if he realized Uhura had suggested this. That she wanted them to get along. “I wouldn’t be sitting here with you now, telling you this, if she hadn’t suggested it because _she wants us to get along._ Uhura is the one that suggested I discuss this with you. I’m taking her advice because I respect her and I don’t want her to be pissed with me or unhappy. She doesn’t want to be another thing between us. She wants us to get along, for everyone’s sake, and she’s gonna feel guilty if we can’t get along because of her.”

 

Across from him, Spock froze, his face going completely blank. The Vulcan just sat there for a long moment, staring at the wall blindly. Jim did his best to keep calm in the face of Spock’s complete 180, but it was freaking him out.

 

Then, Spock was suddenly shooting to his feet and heading to the floor with a calm ‘excuse me, Captain’ and rapid footsteps.

 

Jim cursed as he scrambled after Spock, knocking his chair over as he darted out the door after his first officer. The one that was managing to somehow move very rapidly down the hall without actually running.

 

“Spock, wait!” shouted Jim as he chased after his first officer. Spock didn't slow though, forcing him to run to catch up with the Vulcan.

 

“Spock,” panted Jim, tugging on the sleeve of Spock’s uniform in an attempt to get his first officer to slow down. “Where are you going?”  


“I must speak with Nyota,” stated Spock simply, his pace never relenting as he turned into the hall where her quarters were located.

 

“What?” asked Jim, his head running back through their conversation for some indication of why Spock might be so driven to speak with the communications officer. “Why?”

 

“I must evaluate the veracity of your claims she may choose to end our personal association should you and I be incapable of reconciliation,” stated Spock simply, as he took the final few steps and came to stand before Uhura’s quarters.

 

Jim choked, his mind skidding to a halt as Spock’s words sank in. He watched his first officer raise his and and knock on Uhura’s door, one phrase running through his head on repeat. _She’s going to kill me._ “Spock, I never said she was going to break up with you over this!”

 

“It was implied in your statement concerning her discontent,” explained Spock, folding his hands behind his back. Jim could see the way his fingers twitched nervously, his eyes flying towards the door from Jim.

 

Before Jim could try to argue or counter Spock’s statement though, and possibly save his own skin, the door to Uhura’s quarters was sliding open and the woman in question was shooting both men curious looks.

 

“What’s going-” started Uhura, only for Spock to step forward, his fingers tightening behind his back in what Jim guessed was either a sign of nerves or an attempt to restrain himself from reaching for her.

 

“Nyota, I wish to evaluate the veracity of a statement the Captain has made about your willingness to continue our association should he and I prove incapable of overcoming our dispute concerning his interest in pursuing you,” stated Spock, cutting her off. His knuckles looked white with the force of his grip on his own hands. _Like my skin is gonna be after Uhura murders me._

 

“What statement?” asked Uhura, her voice taking on an edge as she glared at him over Spock’s shoulder. “What did you say, Kirk?”

 

“I-” started Jim, only for Spock to cut him off.

 

“The Captain has stated you expressed distress over my dispute with him concerning his inappropriate behavior towards you,” explained Spock. “His precise statement was: ‘I don’t want her to be pissed with me or unhappy. She doesn’t want to be another thing between us. She wants us to get along, for everyone’s sake, and she’s going to feel guilty if we can’t get along because of her.’. I wish to ascertain the degree to which my association with the captain is distressing you as well as your willingness or unwillingness to continue our association should the Captain and I be unable to reach a mutual association.”

 

The look Uhura directed at him had gone from a glare to a look promising death. Grabbing her comm from what looked like a table inside her quarters, Uhura flipped it open with one hand while offering two fingers to Spock in the same way she had in the mess. “Uhura to Scotty.”

 

“Scotty here,” replied the engineer, his voice tinny over the speaker. “What d’ya need, Lass?”

 

“Beam Kirk to Sick Bay, now,” stated Uhura simply in a dead calm voice, using the two fingers Spock had twined around hers to pull him closer to her. “He’s outside my quarters.”

 

“Ai lass, right away,” returned Scotty, his voice almost sounding a touch scared.

 

Kirk rapidly reached for his own comm, intending to counter the order, only to find his comm missing from its customary spot on his hip. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway; he didn’t even have time to pull his hand from his hip before the sensation of a transporter beam latching onto him caused his stomach to twitch momentarily before his body dissolved in the usual disorienting beam of light. When he blinked again, he was in Sick Bay.

 

Bones glanced up at soon as he materialized, giving him a once over before picking up his own comm. “Bones to Scotty.”

 

“Scotty here,” replied the Scotsman.

 

“Why the hell did you just beam Kirk into my Sick Bay?” asked Bones, cocking an eyebrow at Kirk in warning when he took a step towards the doors.

 

“Lieutenant Uhura told me to,” replied Scotty.

 

An understanding look crossed Bones’ eyes as he nodded slowly. “Right. Thanks Scotty.”

 

“Ai, he alright?” asked Scotty wearily. “She di’ not sound worried.”

 

“Spock didn’t hurt him,” assured Bones, his eyes glancing over Jim. “Sounds like Uhura might have been ready to kill him, though.”

 

“She di’ sound a wee bit mad,” confirmed Scotty.

 

Bones sighed heavily. “I’ll deal with it.”

 

“Ai doctor,” replied Scotty before Bones flipped the comm shut.

 

He turned to Jim then, eyes narrowed what Jim called his ‘angry dad’ stare. “What the hell did you do to get Uhura pissed enough at you that she asked Scotty to beam you away.”

 

“I didn’t do anything!” exclaimed Jim, throwing up his arms in frustration. One of his hands shot through his hair as he dropped onto a biobed. “Spock wasn’t listening to me when I said I didn’t have any interest in pursuing Uhura, so I told him that she’d asked me to talk with him. I said she was unhappy that we were fighting because of her and I was making this attempt to talk with him because I didn’t want her to feel guilty that she was another thing between us. Apparently, he took that to mean she was going to break up with him if we couldn’t get along.”

 

Bones scowled at him, fishing a flask and two glasses out of his desk before collecting both and crossing to sit beside him.

 

Bones filled one glass and held it out to him expectantly, one eyebrow raised. For a moment, Jim just stared at the glass before taking the proffered drink. He took a long gulp, letting the burn of the alcohol distract him from his massive fuck up for the moment. Bones remained silent as he poured his own glass and took a long sip. It made him antsy. Why wasn’t Bones yelling at him? Bones looked like he wanted to yell at him. Hell, bones should be yelling at him. He’d fucked up and he knew it. Shit, Uhura was going to kill him.

 

“I wasn’t trying to make him think Uhura was gonna break up with him if we couldn’t get along,” spit out Jim, wincing as the words left his mouth.

 

Bones choked on his whiskey, sputtering as the liquid spilled on his uniform. “You what? Damnit Jim! I told you to watch what you said!”

 

“I was!” insisted Jim, quelling slightly under Bone’s glare. “And I never said she was going to break up with him! That’s just what he implied when I told him that she didn’t want to cause problems between us.”

 

“You shouldn’t have brought her up in the first place,” admonished Bones as he settled some and poured more whiskey into their glasses.

 

“I know,” assured Jim as he took a long drink. God, did he ever know.

 

Silence stretched between them for a long moment before Bones spoke up again. “She’s going to kill you.”  


Jim nodded in resignation. “I know.”

 

“And she’ll be justified in doing so,” continued Bones, swirling his whiskey.

 

“I know,” repeated Jim with a sigh, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Think if I go apologize now, she’ll forgive me?”

 

Bones cocked an eyebrow at him in disbelief. “Like hell she will! If you interrupt them now, she will throw you out an airlock, assuming Spock doesn’t tear you apart first.”

 

Jim winced. “They’re probably having sex, aren’t they?”

 

“No, whatever makes you think that?” snipped Bones sarcastically. “You only implied she would break up with him if you two couldn’t get along. Can’t imagine that’s _any_ reason to spend some quality time together hashing things out.”

 

“I doubt sex is the same thing as hashing things out, Bones,” remarked Jim, raising an eyebrow at the doctor. “Unless you’re having really different sex from me.”

 

“I hope I had very different sex from you,” snapped Bones with a scowl. “I sure as hell don’t wanna know what you and Gaila got up to.”

 

“Well, if you’d listen to me every once in awhile, you’d know,” pointed out Jim with a smirk as he downed the rest of his whiskey. It was doing a good job of taking the edge off his thoughts, as usual.

 

“Damnit Jim, I said I don’t want to hear it,” growled Bones, throwing back the rest of his whiskey and standing. “And if you keep goin’, I’m gonna let Uhura deal with you. And I won’t patch you up after!”

 

“Alright Bones, I get it,” laughed Jim. He set his glass on the table beside the biobed and lay back, looking up at the ceiling of medical. “I’m guessing I need to stay here tonight?”

 

“Probably safest, make sure the hobgoblin doesn’t murder you or somethin’,” confirmed Bones as he returned to his desk. “I’m on Gamma, so I’ll be here.”

 

“Right,” yawned Jim, rolling onto his side. “I’m gonna catch some sleep then. I’m trusting you with my life Bones.”

 

“Like you don’t every time you land in my sick bay,” muttered Bones just before the click of keys and shuffle of PADDs began to fill the room.

 

Jim didn’t respond; he just yawned again and closed his eyes, allowing the whiskey to settle out his nerves as he fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

Stepping into the mess hall, Jim almost turned around and walked back out again. Uhura and Spock were both seated along one of the walls, leaning close over their food and keeping their fingers intertwined. They were speaking quietly to each other, their words impossible to hear over the din of the room. Not that Jim actually expected to hear them; he didn’t have either of their hearing sensitivities.

 

Taking a deep breath, Jim suppressed his nerves and grabbed a tray. He couldn’t dodge them forever- they were all going to be in shift together in less than an hour. So, grabbing a plate with eggs and sausage, he took a deep breath and headed towards their table.

 

They both looked up as he approached, watching him as he set his plate down on the end of their table. “Hey, can I sit here?”

 

Uhura nodded jerkily, her fingers tightening on Spock’s slightly. He glanced at Spock as well, but his first officer’s eyes were locked on his plate.

 

He glanced between them again before he grabbed a chair and dropped into it. Neither one of them looked up as he did, their eyes locked on their food. Jim suspected they were talking to each other through their joined fingers, though.

 

“So,” spoke up Jim, mentally trying to ready himself for this completely uncomfortable conversation. “I wanted to apologize for last night. I didn’t mean to imply what I did.”

 

“It wasn’t your fault, Captain,” assured Uhura, her voice still stiff but just a touch softer than it had been a moment. “Well, not completely.”

 

“I believe I misinterpreted your statement due to my own uncertainty regarding my personal relationship with Lieutenant Uhura,” confirmed Spock quietly as he finally looked up at Jim. “For that, I apologize.”

 

“You know, long as everything is good now, it’s alright,” assured Jim with a grin as his shoulders relaxed. Well, that was a lot less painful than he’d thought it would be at least.

 

“It is,” stated Uhura, a faint blush covering her cheeks as her eyes returned to her plate.

 

Jim felt one of his eyebrows go up in curiosity. Why was Uhura blushing? His eyes darted between the two. What had he sat down in the middle of? “You okay there, Lieutenant?”

 

“I’m fine,” assured Uhura as she scooped a bit of oatmeal onto her spoon and consumed it.

 

“We have determined the source of my recent aggravation as well, Captain,” added Spock, his voice commanding Jim’s attention.

 

Jim shot him a curious look. “I thought it had to do with some Vulcan protective instinct.”

 

“It does to an extent,” confirmed Spock, his eyes darting to Uhura. She was blushing harder now, looking more uncomfortable than before.

 

Spock raised an eyebrow at her and, for a moment, they were both quiet. Then Uhura stood up abruptly, releasing his fingers in a slow caress. She nodded once to Jim, then crossed the room rapidly, depositing her tray in the recycler on the way out.

 

“Uh, what was that?” asked Jim wearily, glancing back at Spock.

 

The Vulcan’s eyes were still locked on where Uhura had disappeared through the door a second ago. He blinked a second later, his eyes cutting back to Jim. “Apologies. Nyota, while agreeing that you should be privy to this information, does not wish to be present when it is exchanged.”

 

Jim felt a chill go down his spine. Why did he feel like he was about to learn more than he wanted to about both Spock and Uhura? “What information?”

 

“It appears that my possessive instincts are heightened during specific events,” explained Spock calmly, his head tilting slightly to the side. “Specifically, it appears to be exasperated when Lieutenant Uhura is ovulating.”

 

He choked on a bite of his eggs, quickly grabbing for his coffee in an attempt to clear his throat. Spock got more possessive when Uhura was ovulating? That was so much more than he wanted to know. It made sense, yes, but it was still really, really not something he needed to know.

 

“That’s not really something I can control Spock,” pointed out Jim as he managed to clear his throat.

 

“I would hope not,” remarked Spock uneasily, eying Jim warily. “I was informing you due to your insistence on engaging in familiar physical contact with Nyota.”  


The light bulb flickered on in Jim’s head. “You’re giving me a heads up. If you seem moody, don’t touch her.”

 

“While I would prefer you refrain from engaging in physical contact with Nyota in general, that is the ultimate intention,” confirmed Spock, his lips compressing slightly. “I believe that our lack of a formal Vulcan bond has increased my protective nature. Furthermore, the recent genocide of my species has increased my desire to reproduce. The combination appears to induce a possessive instinct with my psyche.”

 

That was obvious. “Well, have you guys discussed bonding?”

 

Spock fidgeted a little at that question, glancing at his food before raising his eyes once more to meet Jim’s. “It would not be appropriate yet.”

 

What the hell did that mean? “Why not? I mean, it would help with this possessive stuff, right?”  


“Captain, a bond to my people is the same as a human marriage,” stated Spock calmly, his gaze challenging.

 

Jim shifted uncomfortably. He definitely wasn't ready to do something like _that_ as part of his captain's duties. “Uh, so, basically you're options to deal with this are get her pregnant or marry her?”

 

If it was possible for a Vulcan to look uncomfortable, Spock was doing it. His eyes were just slightly too wide, his jaw tense and his ears slightly green-tinted at the tips. “Such extremes are not necessary, Captain. We have devised a solution.”

 

“One that doesn't have you growling at random members of the crew?” pressed Jim, his lips compressing. If it was just him, that would be one thing. They could work it out between them. If Spock was going to get aggressive with other people though…

 

“Yes, Captain,” confirmed Spock with a nod.

 

Jim nodded slowly, eying Spock wearily. “Do I want to know what it is?”

 

The green tint appeared slightly on Spock's cheeks. “It is private, Captain.”

 

“Right,” agreed Jim, nodding. “Just keep it out of the halls. Or anywhere public on the ship.”

 

“That is not a concern, Captain,” assured Spock before he stood and gathered his tray. “I will see you on the bridge.”

 

“See you there, Spock,” confirmed Jim before focusing entirely on his meal with great relief. Whatever the issue was, it was resolved. He couldn't ask for a better outcome.

 

Or at least those were his thoughts until that night, when he went to use his restroom and hear very distinct and familiar noises coming through the wall from Spock's quarters. He quickly left to use Bones’ restroom instead.


End file.
